The Hellenic Museum will shine a light on the ancient world with two upcoming initiatives, the first involving a public lecture on myth and religion in ancient Cyprus and the second involving summer school courses exploring ancient Greece.
The public talk will take place first and will be presented by Dr Christopher Gribbin on Sunday 30 November.
The public historian will delve into some of Cyprus’ most intriguing sacred sites, including the sanctuary of Aphrodite, one of the major religious centres of the ancient Mediterranean.
The lecture will be held in person at the Hellenic Museum and streamed live online, going into detail on topics related to the unique religious sites and myths that connected the people in ancient Cyprus (including Greeks, Phoenicians and native Cypriots) to the wider world.
The Museum will continue its exploration of the ancient world into the new year with a summer school running from 5-9 January next year.
The summer school will feature four short courses exploring different aspects of the ancient world.
The courses will look at what travel was like in the ancient world, examine how the settlements of ancient Greece changed over time, consider Aristotle’s insights into his society and ours, and delve into ancient Greek religion.
The latter ties in with the Museum’s new international exhibition, “Rituals: Gifts for the Gods”.
Dr Gribbin, an Adjunct Lecturer at La Trobe University, expressed that “the summer school gives people an opportunity to learn more about the ancient world in a relaxed and entertaining way”.
“Ancient Greece and Rome can feel both familiar and foreign,” he said in a press release.
“For example, ancient travellers loved visiting vibrant cities, historic sites and coastal towns. They had to deal with scammers, pushy guides and souvenirs sellers. But their trips also included visits to oracles, avoiding pirates and seeing the places where myths supposedly happened.”
The summer school will be offered both online and in person at the Hellenic Museum.